The Importance Of Political Independence

When I was eight (1952) we didn't yet have a TV. So, my family drove our old run-down Chevy miles and miles through the country to watch Democrat Adlai Stevenson speak before some huge crowd (the national political conventions would not be covered by television until the next election). I remember sitting on the floor and sensing great excitement in a room crammed full of people. My father, a WWII army vet, was grinning ear-to-ear and there was much cheering all through the speech. Stevenson lost the election, of course, to General Dwight D. Eisenhower. My mom and dad were saddened.

Then, in 1956, dad came home from work wearing an "I Like Ike" campaign button??? I was confused and said, "Dad... I thought we were Democrats?" Dad took my question very seriously, and called together my older sister, Julie (14), younger sister Marva (11), and little brother Marvin (10), and sat us down on the living room couch. Mom joined and sat in the old stuffed chair.

"We don't belong to ANY political party," dad said, as my mom nodded in agreement. Then he said, in a very serious manner, something that made such common sense that it stuck with me all my life. He said (paraphrasing) "If you pledge your vote to a single party, you excuse yourself from thinking.  We listen to both sides, read as much about the issues as we can and discuss them as much as possible. THEN we vote for the candidate we think will make the best president! Ike, in our opinion, has done a good job, and we're voting to re-elect him." Made perfect sense to me. An Independent thinker I would be.

Times were simpler back then... but I still admire and appreciate that ideal!